NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 9/12/16
Great lineup of Jena Friedman, Phoebe Robinson, Aparna Nancherla, Sean Patton, Myq Kaplan, Mark Normand, Brooks Wheelan, Rae Sanni, Greg Barris, and Neel Nanda celebrating a legendary LA show: Tiger Lily 10-Year Anniversary Special (10:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
More recommendations for the best in New York
City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows
over $10 marked with $) include:
[FREE] 6:00 pm to midnight: Six free hours of improvisation at The PIT downstairs lounge: Super Free Monday
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm, 9:30 pm, and 11:30 pm ($12 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Some of the finest stand-ups in the country spread among three shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane): Comedy Cellar Monday
7:30 pm ($7): Comedy groups Stockton and The Executives perform sketch comedy at The Magnet theatre: Magnet Sketch Teams
7:30 pm & 9:00 pm ($10): Another episode of a serialized radio play about the town of Cold Lake, Minnesota celebrating its bicentennial: "From the ice fishing fleets, to local artist Linda Klaver's open mic night at Debbie's Bar/Bait Shop, fortunes will rise and fall like the snow—which, actually, only falls. Unless there's a gust of wind, then it rises. Kinda:" written & directed by Colin Waitt, and produced by Kristin McCarthy Parker & Stephen Stout, at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): From Cold Lake: September
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): At the UCB Chelsea theatre, four-woman sketch group Lucille—Abby Holland, Julie Rosing, Molly Gaebe, and Jenn Roman—attempt to delve into the minds of men, directed by the fabulous Leslie Meisel: Balls Deep...
...and in the second half of this double-bill, a musical sketch comedy show: Pop Roulette's Amazing Earth
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Phoebe Robinson (Seth Meyers, Last Comic Standing, Broad City, MTV’s Girl Code, Totally Biased, co-host of 2 Dope Queens), Joe Pera (hilarious and genius deadpan stand-up; killer set on Seth Meyers; Comedy Central, Adult Swim; for a very special one-minute set at Carolines, please click here; for Joe's latest Kaufman awards submissions, please click here and here; co-host of the Dan + Joe + Charles Show), Pat Kiernan (NY1), and Emma Willmann (Bravo, Oxygen, Sirius XM) performing at UCB East hosted by Ruby Karp: We Hope You Have Fun
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($5 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Wil Sylvince (Comedy Central, HBO, Showtime) hosts Mark Normand, Joe Machi, Jon Fisch, Greer Barnes, Nick Griffin, Liza Treyger, Phil Hanley, and Sean Donnelly trying out fresh material at The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge (130 West 3rd Street): New Joke Night
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($8): Theatrical readings of comic book tales and comic strips from host R. Sikoryak (Masterpiece Comics) and a bunch of actors and artists at Brooklyn's Union Hall: Carousel: Cartoon Slide Shows and Other Projected Pictures
8:00 pm ($8): Yamaneika Saunders, Gary Anderson, Sammy Obeid, and Ashley Gavin performing stand-up at Brooklyn's Littlefield (622 Degraw Street) guest-hosted by Seth Herzog (long-time staff comic for Jimmy Fallon; 30 Rock, @midnight, CBS, VH1; host of Sweet): Night Train
[FREE] 8:00 pm: Four improvisers form teams with comics they've never performed with before at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: The Kaleidoscope
[TOP PICK] 8:30 pm ($5): Myq Kaplan (one of the quickest minds in comedy, and rapidly rising star; finalist on Last Comic Standing; David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents, comedy CDs Small, Dork, and Handsome, Vegan Mind Meld, and Meat Robot) hosts this monthly show, with tonight's guests Phoebe Robinson (Seth Meyers, Last Comic Standing, Broad City, MTV’s Girl Code, Totally Biased, co-host of 2 Dope Queens), Rob Cantrell (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, HBO, VHI, FX's Totally Biased, documentary Metaphysical Graffiti, High Times), Rob Cantrell (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, HBO, VHI, FX's Totally Biased, documentary Metaphysical Graffiti, High Times), and Chris Duffy (staff Writer for NatGeo's Explorer, host of You're the Expert) performing at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue): Myq Kaplan & Friends
9:00 pm ($7): Talented comics perform solo characters at The Magnet theatre hosted by Ari Miller & Elena Skopeto: Character Bash
9:30 pm ($5): Two UCB Chelsea house sketch groups try out new material: Maude Night: Pretty Boys and Hot Bird
9:30 pm ($5): Improv veterans Brandon Gardner, Chelsea Clarke, Phil Jackson, and/or Steve Theiss hosting & performing in a show at UCB East with guest improvisors: Improv Nerds
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: Great lineup of Sean Patton, Mark Normand, Dan Soder, Big Jay Oakerson, Sal Volcano, Emily Winter, and more performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue, off 20th Street) hosted by Aaron Berg (TV series 24 Hour Rental, documentary A Universal Language): Frantic Mondays
[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($7): Storytellers share their true "coming out" tales, and then improvisors make up either a play or a musical based on each story at The Magnet theatre hosted by Laura (Dubbs) Weinblatt: Thank You For Coming Out: An LGBTQ Event Pride Night
10:30 pm ($5): Cory Willis & Mark Levy perform a duo improv monoscene at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Carky Does an Hour
[MEGA-TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Some of the finest comics in the world-who aren't announced in advance, but it's usually a great lineup and often an extraordinary one—at UCB Chelsea typically hosted by Aparna Nancherla (one of the best stand-ups in the country; writer for Seth Meyers; Conan O'Brien, @Midnight, comedy album Just Putting It Out There). Reservations go quickly, but you can probably get in if you arrive early and are okay with standing: Whiplash
Monday Open Mics & Jams
4:30 pm-7:00 pm ($5 plus 1 drink min., with drinks as low as $2): Walk-in stand-up open mic with two rounds, the first providing 5-6 minutes per set and the second 2-3 minutes per set, at The Grisly Pear (107 MacDougal Street) hosted by Tuval Mor: Kickin It Open Mic
5:00 pm ($5): Two-hour open-mic for 20 stand-ups performing for 5 minutes each, with sign-up online here, at the Stand Up NY Comedy Club (236 West 78th Street): Stand Up NY Open Mic
[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open mic stand-up show that provides each performer who shows up time on stage at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Jacob Lie & Stu Melton: Raining Buckets
6:00 pm & 8:00 pm (no cover, 1 drink min. for both comics and audience members): Open mic stand-up providing 5-7 minutes per comic, with each show running 1 hour and 45 minutes. Arrive 30 minutes before the show you want to be in to get on the signup sheet. This is a fine opportunity to perform at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club Open Mic
7:30 pm ($10; sign-up starts at 7:00 pm): Open mic for stand-ups, storytellers, singers, poets, actors, and more, with 5 minutes per performer and 25 slots available, at The Parkside Lounge (317 East Houston Street, off Avenue B) hosted by Nathan P., followed by a raucous afterparty with dancing & drink specials from 10:00 to midnight: Inspired Word's Open Mic Joint
[FREE] 10:30 pm: Improv veterans Brandon Gardner, Chelsea Clarke, and Phillip Jackson hosting & performing in a show at UCB East with improvisors taken from the audience...and who may include you: Improv Nerds Jam
[FREE] 10:30 pm: Improv students are welcomed onto the stage at The PIT downstairs lounge for this weekly open access show hosted by Gary DeNoia & Langston Belton: Base Jam
11:00 pm ($3): Open mic stand-up, with each comic getting 5 minutes and room for 15 comics who sign up per show, at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted by John Field: The Power Exchange
[FREE] 11:00 pm: Open mic stand-up show that provides each performer whose name is pulled from a bucket 4 minutes on stage at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Joseph Robert: PBR & Scrap Paper Open Mic Stand-Up
NYC Comedy Picks for Tuesday 9/13/16
Michelle Wolf (star stand-up who's also a star writer/correspondent for The Daily Show, and previously for Seth Meyers; MTV's Girl Code, IFC), Vanessa Bayer (cast member of Saturday Night Live), Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter (lead MC of legendary Jimmy Fallon band The Roots), Mark Kelley (bassist of The Roots), and maybe a surprise guest or two performing for the twelfth anniversary of this wonderful comedy show hosted by Seth Herzog (long-time staff comic for Jimmy Fallon; 30 Rock, @midnight, CBS, VH1): 12th Anniversary of Seth Herzog's Sweet (9:00 pm, $15, The Studio at Webster Hall (125 East 11th Street, between Third and Fourth Avenues)
More recommendations for the best in New York
City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows
over $10 marked with $) include:
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm ($5 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Broadway, TV, and film star Colin Quinn (Trainwreck, comedy national treasure) hones material for a one-man show at The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge (130 West 3rd Street): Colin Quinn: Ruined!
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm-11:00 pm ($7 for the whole evening): In this 4-hour extravaganza, six singing & dancing improv groups at The Magnet make up musicals based on audience suggestions, followed at 10:15 pm by an improv jam open to the audience hosted by group Wonderland: Magnet Musical Megawatt
7:00 pm ($5): A showcase for two brand new shows—sketch, solo, readings, what have you—every week at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by the wonderful Ronny Pascale: Pilot Season
[FREE] 7:00 pm: Improvisors make up scenes at The PIT upstairs theatre: Matt's Emotions
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm, 9:30 pm, and 11:30 pm ($12 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Some of the finest stand-ups in the country spread among three shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane): Comedy Cellar Tuesday
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 7:30 pm: Comics creators join super-hosts Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler, and Pete LePage in a lively & hilarious discussion about four-color pop culture at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street), with giveaways of comics and gift certificates (and if you can't make it, watch in online here): Comic Book Club
[FREE] 7:30 pm: Alingon Mitra (Conan O'Brien, The Daily Show, Last Comic Standing), Joe Zimmerman (Conan O'Brien, John Oliver, Comedy Central Half Hour, Last Comic Standing), Josh Carter (Broad City), and more performing stand-up at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Jacob Williams (MTV's Wild 'N Out): Jacob Williams and Friends
7:30 pm & 9:15 pm ($5 per show): House groups at UCB Chelsea perform the classic improv form The Harold at Harold Night
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($8): A fun eclectic variety show featuring Rebecca Vigil (rising star powerhouse improv singer; Your Love Our Musical, The Vigilante), Jessica Wright, Mike Albo, Monroe Lily, The Great Dubini (close-up magician), Max Steele (Goth Ukulele), and The Love Show performing at Brooklyn's Littlefield (622 Degraw Street) hosted by the delightful Amanda Duarte (host of Dead Darlings): Brooklyn Loft Party: La Grosse Pomme
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($10 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Dave Attell, Robert Kelly, and Dan Soder are guests for a podcast taping at Village Underground (130 West 3rd Street, off Sixth Avenue) hosted by Kevin Brennan & Lenny Marcus: Misery Loves Company Podcast Taping
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($8): Comics Roy Wood Jr., Conner O'Malley, Catherine Cohen, Carmen Christopher, and Dan Fagin perform their submissions for being awarded a Pulitzer Prize at Brooklyn's Union Hall hosted by Eliza Cossio & Caroline Schaper: Pulitzer Surprises
[DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm ($8.45 online using discount code NORTHERN; no min.): John Fugelsang (former host of America's Funniest Home Videos), Annie Lederman (Comedy Central, Chelsea Lately, co-host of Pirate Party), Kyle Grooms (Comedy Central Presents, Chappelle's Show), and Louis Katz (Jimmy Fallon, HBO, Comedy Central Presents) performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street) hosted by Josh Carter & Ray DeVito: Northern Discomfort
8:00 pm ($5): Making great use of UCB East's previous incarnation as an indie movie theatre, tonight features screenings of select films running five minutes or less—most of them funny—crafted in the style of TV pilots. The shorts receiving the most audience votes get to continue with additional episodes, while the others are "canceled" at Channel 101
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:30 pm: Myq Kaplan (one of the quickest minds in comedy, and rapidly rising star; finalist on Last Comic Standing, semi-finalist on America's Got Talent; David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents, comedy CDs Small, Dork, and Handsome, Vegan Mind Meld, and Meat Robot; host of Best New York Stand-Up), Jon Fisch (David Letterman, Comedy Central, Last Comic Standing, VH1, comedy album He Has Friends), Naomi Ekperigin (dynamite rising star stand-up; writer for Comedy Central's Broad City and Hulu's Difficult People; MTV, VH1, FX), Matteo Lane (Comedy Central, MTV's Guy Code & Girl Code, host of Chemistry), Anthony DeVito (Adam Devine's House Party), and Casey James Salengo performing stand-up at Cake Shop (152 Ludlow Street, between Rivington & Stanton) hosted by John Early: Cakeshop Comedy: Myq Kaplan, Jon Fisch, Naomi Ekperigin, Matteo Lane, and More
9:00 pm ($7): Stand-ups Stu Melton, Caitlin Peluffo, Jenn Wehrung, Nasser Khan, and Luke Mones make up TED Talks at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Ryan Stanisz: Stand-Ups Improvise TED Talks
[FREE] 9:00 pm): NYC stand-ups Ryan Schutt, Richie Tolway, and Josh Rosen, plus a diaper boy fashion show set to heavy metal music, at Brooklyn's Tender Trap (66 Greenpoint Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street) hosted by Justin Hancock & Tim Unkenholz : Buttery Ritz Presents Heavy Metal Diaper Pageant
9:00 pm ($5): An improvised game of Dungeons & Dragons at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): The Campaign
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Brandon Scott Wolf (contributor to SNL's Weekend Update), Marcia Belsky, and Tushar Singh present funny lectures on silly topics—e.g., "Octopuses: Squishy Satans of the Sea"—at the UCB East theatre produced by Kara Klenk and hosted by Jim Tews: Homeschooled—A Comedic Lecture Series
[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($5; no min.): Sean Patton (one of the finest stand-ups in the country; killer sets on Jimmy Fallon and Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Half Hour, VH1, feature film Wifed Out; former co-host of Esquire Network's Best Bars in America), Mark Normand (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, Comedy Central Half Hour, Inside Amy Schumer, Last Comic Standing, VH1's Best Week Ever; comedy album Still Got It; opens for Amy Schumer), Monroe Martin (finalist on Last Comic Standing), Joe List (HBO, David Letterman, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central), Bonnie McFarlane (HBO, David Letterman, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central), and Ian Lara performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue, off 20th Street): $5 Funnies: Sean Patton, Mark Normand, Monroe Martin, Joe List, Bonnie McFarlane, and More
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: A screening of an animated pilot by Sahar Adri, followed by stand-up from the comics who lent their voices to the show, all at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre: Animated Nutrition Man Screening & Stand-Up Show
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm (reserve your free spots by clicking here): Typically terrific stand-ups (for the line-up, usually posted by 1:00 pm, please click here) performing at The Irish Exit (978 Second Avenue, off 52nd Street, in the back room) produced every Tuesday by Mark Normand, Matt Ruby, Gary Vider, and Sachi Ezura: Hot Soup
10:00 pm ($5): Former PIT improvisor Georgie—who moved to Chicago—briefly returns to NYC to make up scenes with fellow comics at The PIT downstairs lounge: Georgie and Friends
11:00 pm ($5): Going beyond the classic Harold, improv group Foxhole performs different types of longform at the UCB East theatre: Harold on the Run
Tuesday Open Mics & Jams
5:00 pm ($5): Two-hour open-mic for 20 stand-ups performing for 5 minutes each, with sign-up online here, at the Stand Up NY Comedy Club (236 West 78th Street): Stand Up NY Open Mic
[ALMOST FREE] 6:00 pm ($1): A chance for gals to get on stage and improvise with veteran female comics at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street) hosted by Blair Silverman and members of Ladies of the PIT: Lady Jam
6:00 pm (no cover, 1 drink min. for both comics and audience members): Open mic stand-up providing 5-7 minutes per comic, running 2 1/2 hours. Arrive 30 minutes before the show to get on the signup sheet. This is a fine opportunity to perform at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club Open Mic
[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open mic for comedy of all types providing 2 minutes for each performer (with sign-up starting at 6:00) at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Tim Unkenholz: Butt Factory
[FREE] 6:30 pm: Weekly stand-up open mic, with walk-ins tossing names into a hat and set length determined by the number of comics who show up, at Bunga's Den (137 West 14th Street, between Sixth & Seventh Avenues) hosted by Jimmy LeChase and/or Justin Perez: Townies Open Mic
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: This weekly two-hour open mic storytelling show allows each performer 6 minutes to tell a compelling and funny tale at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Jake Hart and a guest co-host: The Dump
[FREE] 7:00 pm: Four booked NYC stand-ups, plus one open spot for an audience member whose name is pulled from a bucket, plus drop-in spots for up to five TV-credited comics who care to walk in! Spots are at least 5 minutes each, but go up by a minute per comic for every TV-credited drop-in spot that isn't filled (e.g., if no drop-ins appear, every comic will receive up to 10 minutes per set). It all happens at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Daniel Ahrens: Drop-In/The Bucket
[FREE] 8:00 pm: Weekly open mic for any kind of act (with sign-up starting at 7:30) at Brooklyn's Goodbye Blue Monday (1087 Broadway) hosted by Joe Crow Ryan: Goodbye Blue Monday
[FREE] 10:15 pm: In this free Magnet show, audience members can join in with musical improv group Pipe Dreams to make up stories in song on the spot: Musical Magnet Mixer
[ALMOST FREE] 10:30 pm ($1): A chance for you to get on stage and improvise with PIT faculty at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Tuesday After Class Jam
11:00 pm ($3): A breathtaking 40 comics are given 2 minutes each in this rapid-fire open-mic stand-up show at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted with wit and energy by Jay Welch: Bring It
[FREE] 11:00 pm: Weekly walk-in open mic stand-up providing 3 minutes for each comic whose name is pulled from a bucket at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Michelle Slonim: Rapid Fire
NYC Comedy Picks for Wednesday 9/14/16
In this unique show, Giulia Rozzi (Comedy Central's This Is Not Happening and The Jim Gaffigan Show, Chelsea Lately, writer for MTV's Girl Code, VH1, comedy album True Love) interviews comics as they share rare and embarrassing footage of one of their first sets—and will also perform new material for comparison's sake. Tonight's wonderful guests are Myq Kaplan (one of the quickest minds in comedy, and rapidly rising star; finalist on Last Comic Standing, semi-finalist on America's Got Talent; David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents, comedy CDs Small, Dork, and Handsome, Vegan Mind Meld, and Meat Robot), Leah Bonnema (VH1, IFC's Comedy Drop, WeTV's Cinematherapy, Logo, Opie & Anthony’s Virus Channel), Nore Davis (Inside Amy Schumer, HBO's Last Week Tonight, Boardwalk Empire, Comedy Central's Russell Simmons Presents The Ruckus, MTV), and Sal Vulcano (co-star of TruTV's Impractical Jokers): First Set: Myq Kaplan, Sal Vulcano, Nore Davis, and Leah Bonnema (8:00 pm, $7, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
More recommendations for the best in New York
City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows
over $10 marked with $) include:
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm ($5 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Broadway, TV, and film star Colin Quinn (Trainwreck, comedy national treasure) hones material for a one-man show at The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge (130 West 3rd Street): Colin Quinn: Ruined!
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): Joe List (HBO, David Letterman, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central), Christi Chiello (Comedy Central's Roast Battle, Last Comic Standing, MTV's Girl Code, TruTV, co-host of White Chocolate Sundaes), Bowen Yang (Broad City), and Khalid Ramaan performing stand-up at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street) hosted by Myq Kaplan (one of the quickest minds in comedy, and rapidly rising star; finalist on Last Comic Standing, semi-finalist on America's Got Talent; David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents): The Sensible Show
7:00 pm-11:00 pm ($7 for the entire evening): Four hours of improv from eight groups—plus a free improv jam at 6:00 pm—at The Magnet theatre: Magnet Megawatt
[FREE] 7:00 pm-midnight: Five free hours of improvisation—including an open-to-all improv jam at 6:00 pm; group Lovers, which includes the spectacular Dana Shulman and Tracy Mull at 7:00 pm; and PIT owner Ali Farahnakian & friends at 10:25 pm—at The PIT upstairs theatre: Super Free Wednesday
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm, 8:00 pm, 9:30 pm, and 11:30 pm ($14, plus 2-item food/drink min.): Some of the finest stand-ups in the country spread among three shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) and an 8:00 pm show at Village Underground (130 West 3rd Street, off Sixth Avenue): Comedy Cellar Wednesday
7:30 pm ($5): Expanding the UCB longform improv showcased on Harold Night is this weekly show at UCB East which features three house groups making up scenes on the spot: Lloyd Night
7:30 pm ($7): Mindy Raf, Andrea Ilene Shapiro, Alan Richardson, Angela Cobb, Justin Hayes, Katrin Higher, Kaitlyn Holland, and James Hussey tell funny stories about their day jobs at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Kristin Seltman: Don't Quit Your Day Job
7:30 pm ($5): A one-man cabaret show of songs and stories by Eric Scholl performed at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): I'm Grumpy And I Don't Like Puppies
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): At UCB Chelsea, Colin O'Brien & Michael Wolf perform a duo rock concert directed by Jo Firestone & Aaron Jackson: Nancy: Home is Where the Songs Are...
...and in the second half of this double-bill, a play directed by the wonderful Langan Kingsley, and written by & co-starring Matt Barats & John Reynolds, about "on the night when the girls ask the boys, it's finally the teacher's turn:" Sadie Hawkins Day: Love Knows No Bounds
[FREE] 8:00 pm: Young and/or struggling NYC stand-ups performing at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) produced by Meghan O'Malley, Adrian Davidson, and Erick Hellwig: Barely Making It
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:30 pm ($20 plus 2-item food/drink min.): A star stand-up with numerous appearances on David Letterman, Jay Leno, and Louie who's also an Emmy-nominated comedy writer and talk show host headlines at The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge (130 West 3rd Street): Nick DiPaolo
8:30 pm ($10): "The siblings run, The siblings shout, The siblings throw things all about, They do not want to go to bed, Too many voices in their heads, They run and hide when MomDad seeks, Crawl under here, shh do not speak" with Kelly Cooper, Caitlin Dullea, and Thomas Fricilone directed by Michael Bertrando at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street): The Siblings
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00 pm: Big Jay Oakerson (Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, Louie, Inside Amy Schumer, HBO, Showtime, MTV, IFC; stellar new comedy album Live at Webster Hall), Dave Smith, Luis J. Gomez, and other NYC comics "discussing the skankier sides of life, love, and stand-up comedy" for this weekly podcast taping at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue): Legion of Skanks
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Aparna Nancherla (one of the best stand-ups in the country; writer for Seth Meyers; Conan O'Brien, @Midnight, comedy album Just Putting It Out There; opens for Tig Notaro; hosts top weekly NYC stand-up show Whiplash), Christi Chiello (Comedy Central's Roast Battle, Last Comic Standing, MTV's Girl Code, TruTV, co-host of White Chocolate Sundaes), Dan Perlman, Tim Dillon, Argon Fritz, and more performing at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Chris Gersbeck: Everythign Is Dumbn: A Comedy & Music Showcase
[FREE] 9:00 pm: Seaton Smith (rising star stand-up; HBO's Girls, FOX's Mulaney, Seth Meyers, Inside Amy Schumer, The Nightly Show), Jon Fisch (David Letterman, Comedy Central, Last Comic Standing, VH1, comedy album He Has Friends), Adam Glyn (host of FOX’s South of Wilshire), Sean White (Comedy Central), Brian Parise, David Drake, and Kristin Manna performing stand-up for this free weekly stand-up show at Lucky Jack's Pub (129 Orchard Street) produced by Kyle Fincham, Lance Weiss, and Brendon Fitzgibbons: Gandhi, Is That You?
[TOP PICK] 9:15 pm ($5): The instructors of UCB's classes include some of the finest improvisors in the country. In this new weekly show a bunch of them get on stage at UCB East hosted by Doug Mo and/or Ben Rameaka: Hot for Teacher: The UCB Faculty Show
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Tami Sagher (superb TV writer for Inside Amy Schumer, Broad City, Girls, 30 Rock, How I Met Your Mother; writer and producer for Mad TV 2001-2006) and Chris Gethard (star of The Chris Gethard Show, co-star of film Don't Think Twice; The Office, Comedy Central, IFC; author of A Bad Idea I'm About to Do and Weird New York) perform duo improv at the UCB Chelsea theatre: Sagher & Gethard
9:30 pm ($5): "Two brothers need a good night’s sleep because they have something big in the morning; but the night has other plans for them” written & starring John Higgins & Cory Snearowski at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street): Two Guys Just Tryna Sleep
[TOP PICK] 10:15 pm ($5): Improvisors make up scenes about obsessions at the UCB East theatre: The Fix
[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Jo Firestone (exceptionally inventive and irresistible rising star; The Chris Gethard Show, radio host of WFMU's Dr. Gameshow, live-on-stage host of Punderdome 3000 and The Incredible Game Show Showcase) hosts this new "anything might happen comedy chaos" monthly show. Tonight features improv by such stellar talents as Langan Kingsley, plus pancakes, at the UCB Chelsea theatre: Jo Firestone Presents The Unexpectashow
[TOP PICK] [$] 11:00 pm ($20): "Lots of comedians tell jokes about the sex business onstage, but you almost never get to hear the other side of the story. So for one night a month we turn the tables and hand the mic off to actual sex workers to showcase the humor and charm of tales told about the industry by the pros themselves! This month featuring stand-up, storytelling, poetry, and booty shaking by Hannah Cowger, Jacq the Stripper, Mx Master Bean, Ariel Wolf, Lydia Love, Jenna Torres, Paige Ovadia, Lola and Shanlita Bandita" at Brooklyn's The Experiment Comedy Gallery (272 Grand Street, basement): Red Light Comedy Night
Wednesday Open Mics & Jams
5:00 pm ($5): Two-hour open mic for 20 stand-ups performing for 5 minutes each, with sign-up online here, at the Stand Up NY Comedy Club (236 West 78th Street): Stand Up NY Open Mic
[FREE] 6:00 pm: Walk-in open mic storytelling show, with each yarn-spinner (selected via names from a bucket) getting up to 8 minutes to tell a true and funny tale at Astoria Queens comedy venue QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Mike Guild: Flynn's Mic
[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open mic stand-up show that provides each performer whose name is pulled from a bucket 5 minutes on stage at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Kaity Neagle & Irene Hartmann: Ragtag Team Open Mic Stand-Up
6:00 pm (no cover, 1 drink min. for both comics and audience members): Open mic stand-up providing 5-7 minutes per comic, running 2 1/2 hours. Arrive 30 minutes before the show to get on the signup sheet. This is a fine opportunity to perform at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club Open Mic
[FREE] 6:00 pm: Sign up at 5:45 pm for the opportunity to make up scenes at The Magnet with veteran improvisors: Magnet Mixer Wednesday
[FREE] 6:00 pm: Your chance to improvise on stage at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted by Anthony Velez & Parker Denton: Recess
[FREE] 7:00 pm: Open mic stand-up providing 4 minutes per comic. Email PhoningItInMic@gmail.com to sign up, or take a chance at lottery sign-up live between 6:45 and 7:45, at Brooklyn's Halyards Bar (406 Third Avenue) hosted by Lukas Kaiser: Comics Phoning It In
[FREE] 11:00 pm: Weekly walk-in open mic stand-up providing 3 minutes for each comic whose name is pulled from a bucket (but no actual punch or pie, that's just a lure to entice you to come) at Queens LIC's The Creek downstairs lounge hosted by Matthew Tenenbaum: Punch & Pie
11:00 pm ($3): Open mic stand-up show, with each comic whose name is selected from a bucket getting on stage for 3-5 minutes (depending on the number of comics) at The PIT downstairs lounge: The Camel Butt
[FREE] 11:00 pm: Your chance to perform on stage with experienced improvisors at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted by Bernard Maynore and/or Patrick Cucuta: Improdome
[FREE] 11:15 pm: Your opportunity to perform on the stage of UCB East with improv veterans at UCB East hosted by members of improv group Bucky: Rotisserie Jam
NYC Comedy Picks for Thursday 9/15/16
Louis C.K. is performing a show one last night at Madison Square Garden that received a rave review from Jason Zinoman of The New York Times (to read it, please click here). MSG isn't my preferred venue for stand-up, which works best in more intimate settings; but Jason's been tough on Louis' shows in the past, so his current review made seeing this irresistible, and I'll be there tonight. Plus if you'd enjoy experiencing Louis soaking up the loving energy of over 15,000 comedy fans, this is an amazing opportunity to do so: Louis C.K. at Madison Square Garden (8:00 pm, $30-$70, MSG at Seventh Avenue between 31st and 33rd Streets)
More recommendations for the best in New York
City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows
over $10 marked with $) include:
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm, 8:00 pm, 9:30 pm, and 11:30 pm ($14 per show, plus 2-item food/drink min.): Some of the finest stand-ups in the country spread among three shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) and an 8:00 pm show at Village Underground (130 West 3rd Street, off Sixth Avenue): Comedy Cellar Thursday
7:30 pm ($5): Rob Cantrell (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, HBO, VHI, FX's Totally Biased, documentary Metaphysical Graffiti, High Times), Alingon Mitra (Conan O'Brien, The Daily Show, Last Comic Standing), Ashley Brooke Roberts (co-host of Fresh Out, sketch group Absolutely), Rojo Perez (MTV), and Sam Evans performing stand-up at UCB East hosted by Sean Crespo, Dan Wilbur, and Katina Corrao: Lasers in the Jungle
7:30 pm ($5): Group Hot Boss hosts comedy about jobs at The PIT downstairs lounge, capped by an audience member excoriating his or her boss and coworkers: Hot Boss: Happy Hour
7:30 pm ($5): Improvisors make up scenes with the lights turned off, using everyday objects to add layers of sound—like a radio play created on the spot—at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street) : Dim-Prov: Improv in the Dark
7:30 pm ($5): Stand-ups from Reddit—David Angelo (The Daily Show), Tom Cowell (Comedy Central), Lucien Steiner (HBO), Tommy Rey, Eli Sairs, Danny Vega, and Stu Melton—performing at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Dominic Fogarty: The Reddit Show
[$] 7:30 pm ($38.25 & 2-drink min.): A comic who's been a cast member of MAD TV and The Howard Stern Show, acted in a bunch of feature films, and co-hosts FOX News Radio's The Nick and Artie Show headlining tonight through Saturday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Artie Lange
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($20): A comic who's performed on David Letterman and Conan O'Brien, starred in hour-long Comedy Central special Shovel Fighter, made over 50 appearances on Chelsea Lately, spent two years as a cast member of Mad TV, and was a wacky neighbor on NBC’s Up All Night headlines at Brooklyn's The Bell House (149 7th Street): Matt Braunger
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($8): Comics Bowen Yang, Erin Gloria Ryan, and Tanael Joachim get drunk and then compete to present the best scientific dissertation on this month's subject of Ignorance to a panel of genuine scientists at Brooklyn's Littlefield (622 Degraw Street) hosted by Joanna Rothkopf, Shannon Odell, and Jordan Mendoza: Drunk Science
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): At the UCB Chelsea theatre, a sketch show parodying Hollywood's depiction of women and motherhood: M.I.L.P: Moms I'd Like to Portray...
...and in the second half of this double-bill, a mini-play "exploring everything you love about karaoke: mediocre singing, friendship, Tsing-Tao, accidental meet cutes, homicidal Korean women, and of course your favorite 90's jams!": Let's Check Out That Karaoke Spot!
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($15; no min.): Comics audition to be included in Comedy Central's Comics to Watch list at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue, off 20th Street) hosted by Monroe Martin (finalist on Last Comic Standing): Comedy Central Stand-Up Auditions
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm-Midnight ($10 for the entire evening): Four veteran house improv groups, themed improv show Hear No Evil (improvisors wear earplugs preventing them from hearing what's happening on-stage), and improv competition Inspirado, all for just $10 at The Magnet theatre: The Magnet's Thursday Night Out
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($12): A stand-up who's appeared on Conan O'Brien, CNN, MSNBC, and Showtime, writes for The Huffington Post, and co-hosts Citizen Radio performs a long set at Brooklyn's Union Hall: Jamie Kilstein
[FREE] 8:00 pm: Stand-ups originally from Chicago performing tonight: Matteo Lane (Comedy Central, MTV's Guy Code & Girl Code, host of Chemistry), Ashley Bez, Tim Barnes, Amy Shanker, and Ross Kelly at Brooklyn's Hungry Ghost Cafe/Bar (781 Fulton Street, between Fulton and South Oxford Streets) produced by Keenan Steiner and guest-hosted by Caitlin Peluffo: Comedy at the Corner
8:00 pm ($5): Sketch, stand-up, and music featuring Catherine Cohen, Steven Markow, Fran Hoepfner, Jamie Brew, and more performing at The PIT upstairs theatre: An Evening with Kitty & Stove
[FREE] 8:00 pm: A monthly showcase of both stand-ups and improvisors at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue), hosted by stand-up Nick Maritato and improv troupe Priest and the Beekeeper: Pig Pile
8:00 pm ($5): Two improv house groups make up scenes for an hour at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street): Detention + Gun Club
[TOP PICK] 8:30 pm ($5): Superb storyteller David Lawson (The Flyer Guy at Solocom 2015) performs a one-man show about video games "with stories about secretly playing an ultra-violent Nazi-killing game at a Jewish Community Center, a former boss with a Grand Theft Auto-related secret, how Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have tried to censor video games, and more" at The PIT downstairs lounge: No Oddjob
9:00 pm ($5): Dan Soder (smart, edgy rising star; Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central hour-long special Not Special, Comedy Central Half Hour, Inside Amy Schumer, MTV's Guy Code and Guy Court, VH1), Anthony DeVito (Adam Devine's House Party), Louis Katz (Jimmy Fallon, HBO, Comedy Central Presents), Danielle Perez (Jimmy Kimmel), Blair Socci (MTV's Girl Code), and Steve O'Brien (Team Submarine) performing stand-up at UCB East hosted by Ashley Brooke Roberts and/or Jim Tews: Fresh Out
9:00 pm ($6): Zahra Noorbakhsh (delightful Iranian-American writer/actress/stand-up visiting from San Francisco; co-host of #GoodMuslimBadMuslim podcast; New Yorker-acclaimed FringeNYC show All Atheists Are Muslim), Charlie Kasov (MTV's Guy Code), Lauren Hope Krass, Vicky Kuperman, Davey Stevey Dave, and Vicki Ferentinos performing stand-up at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Sue Funke & Katie Compa: Happy Place Comedy
9:00 pm ($10): "Seattle’s premier—and quite possibly only—dyke comedy collective features stand-up, sketch, improv, and a whole lot of crystals" performing at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street): Deep Lez
9:00 pm ($5): Indie improv groups Third Eye Blind Island and Butters make up scenes at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Super Indie Takeover
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): The Emmy-winning writers of The Daily Show gather on the UCB Chelsea stage to perform an all-improvised Non-Daily Show
[FREE] 10:00 pm: NYC magicians try out new material, with some stand-up thrown in, at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by mind reader Eric Dittelman (America’s Got Talent, Ellen): Amazeballs
[FREE] 10:30 pm: NYC stand-ups performing at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) produced & hosted by Chris Gersbeck, Lauren Hope Krass, and/or Peter Bandyk: Casual Sets
[FREE] 10:30 pm: "A curated hour of eclectic comedic material written in a week with no rehearsals" at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street): The Holy Fuck Comedy Hour
[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Last week improv group The Mannequin Room destroyed the dreams of troupe The Nightmare with a crushing victory of 90-17. Tonight TMR faces Area 52, competing for your laughs and votes at UCB Chelsea's raucous Cage Match
11:00 pm ($5): Sarah Tollemache (Last Comic Standing), Jon Laster (BET), and Justin Williams performing stand-up at the UCB East theatre hosted by Brendan Fitzgibbons & Lance Weiss: Gandhi, Is That You?
Thursday Open Mics & Jams
5:00 pm ($5): Two-hour open-mic for 20 stand-ups performing for 5 minutes each, with sign-up online here, at the Stand Up NY Comedy Club (236 West 78th Street): Stand Up NY Open Mic
5:45 pm-8:00 pm ($5 plus 1 drink min., with drinks as low as $2): Walk-in stand-up open mic with two rounds, the first providing 4-5 minutes per set and the second 2-3 minutes per set, at The Grisly Pear (107 MacDougal Street) hosted by Tuval Mor: Kickin It Open Mic Thursday
[FREE] 6:00 pm: An open mic that lets you try out solo characters on the UCB East stage hosted by Sean Hart: Don't Be Yourself: Character Open Mic
[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up with comics' names drawn from a bucket and each chosen receiving 2 minutes—and if that goes well, maybe a hug (but not actual puppies)—at The Creek's downstairs lounge in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Ross Parsons & Trey Galyon: Free Puppies
6:00 pm (no cover, 1 drink min. for both comics and audience members): Open mic stand-up providing 5-7 minutes per comic, running 2 1/2 hours. Arrive 30 minutes before the show to get on the signup sheet. This is a fine opportunity to perform at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club Open Mic
[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open mic stand-up with 4 minutes per comic (sign-up starts at 5:30 pm) at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Jake Vevera & Amy Liszka: The QED Thursday Mic
[ALMOST FREE] 6:00 pm ($1): A weekly improv jam for which the number of participants on stage is determined by a roll of the dice at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street) hosted by Jon Monje, Glorillis Tavarez, Trumane Alston, and Julien Darmon: Chance Encounters Jam
6:30 pm ($3): If you're a gal who'd like to try stand-up but are wary of being vulnerable in a tough male-dominated room, this show may be the perfect opportunity for you—an all-female open mic, with the first 15 comics to sign up (starting at 5:50 pm) getting 3 minutes each on stage at The PIT downstairs lounge: Ladies Night Open Mic
7:00 pm ($2, which includes a free beer or water): Open mic stand-up providing a whopping 10 minutes per comic. Email PhoningItInMic@gmail.com with subject line Phoning Thursday to sign up; or take a chance at lottery sign-up live between 6:45 and 7:45 at Brit Pack Studios (34 Pell Street, 2nd Floor) hosted by Ian Fidance: Comics Phoning It In
[FREE] 7:00 pm: A weekly improv jam hosted by group Salt at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street): The Blender
[FREE] 7:00 pm: In this free Magnet show, audience members (signing in at 6:00) can join in with a veteran improv group to make up scenes on the spot: Magnet Mixer Thursday
[FREE] 10:00 pm: Walk-in open mic (with names selected from a bucket) to do anything you want for 5 minutes—"chat, rant, plug, tell a story, be a character, play a game, review a new religion"—for a podcast recorded at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Mike Guild & Mike Mercadal: The Open Mic Podcast
[ALMOST FREE] 10:30 pm ($1): A chance for you to get on stage and improvise with PIT faculty at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Thursdays After Class Jam
[FREE] 11:00 pm: An open-mic stand-up show that's first come, first serve, with each comic getting 3 minutes on stage at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Matt Anderson: Barf Up the Jokes
NYC Comedy Picks for Friday 9/16/16
An annual two-day comedy festival taking place in Brooklyn kicks off tonight with a sold-out show at The Bell House and two shows at Union Hall with such entertaining titles as "Comics Famous Enough to Sometimes Get Free Appetizers at Nice Restaurants" and "Stars of a Future Internet Streaming Platform That Old People Will Probably Mispronounce." For details, please click Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival 2016
More recommendations for the best in New York
City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows
over $10 marked with $) include:
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm, 7:30 pm, 8:00 pm, 8:45 pm, 9:30 pm, 10:00 pm. 10:30 pm, 11:30 pm, and 12:15 am ($20-$24 per show, plus 2-item food/drink min.): Some of the finest stand-ups in the country spread among four shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane), the 7:30, 9:30, and 11:30 shows at Village Underground (130 West 3rd Street, off Sixth Avenue), and the 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm shows at The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge (130 West 3rd Street): Comedy Cellar Friday
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): Six improvisors—including Adrian Sexton and J. W. Crump—compete for your laughs and votes at this fun improv game show at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted by the wonderful Tracy Mull: The Island: Improv Competition
7:00 pm ($5): Sketch comedy from trio Pat May, Elena Skopetos, and Michael Delisle at The Magnet theatre: The Rolling Scones
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): Top improvisors Connor Ratliff, Shannon O'Neill, Brandon Scott Jones, and Shaun Diston "talk to one person for less than 10 minutes and let them know how they die 45 minutes later" at the UCB East theatre: We Know How You Die
7:30 pm ($10): Two PIT downstairs lounge improv groups making up a musical on the spot. Dagger includes Abby Holland (VH1's Best Night Ever, musical improv groups Aquarius and Veal), and Hello includes Lorraine Cink (especially lovely singing voice; host & writer of Marvel Comics' The Watcher): Dagger and Hello
7:30 pm ($10): Improv group Bucky makes up one long scene in the same location (a winning form that's helped such teams as Death by Roo Roo win a whole lot of Cage Match victories)—and, when SNL is on break, sometimes includes star Sasheer Zamata (whenever that happens, consider this a TOP PICK)—at the UCB East theatre: Bucky: Thank F#@% It's Friday!
7:30 pm ($5): All-gal variety show at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street) hosted by Liisa Murray & Meghan Ross: That Time of the Month
[$] 7:30 pm & 10:30 pm ($38.25 & 2-drink min.): A comic who's been a cast member of MAD TV and The Howard Stern Show, acted in a bunch of feature films, and co-hosts FOX News Radio's The Nick and Artie Show headlining tonight and Saturday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Artie Lange
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): A historical period or major event is explored comedically via stand-up, sketch, trivia contests, and more at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Justin Auslaender & Lindsay Boling: Annal Revue
8:00 pm ($10): A comedic play with bite about the Hollywood experience for minorities, in which "four black actors in Room 4 have just realized they’re stuck in a time loop, auditioning for the same role of 'Drug Dealer #2' over and over. What once felt like a messed-up metaphor has become a literal existential nightmare. Get them out of there" at The PIT upstairs theatre written by Marina & Nicco, and with an eight-man cast...one of whom plays a literal Magical Negro: Room 4
8:00 pm ($10): "After five years lost in space and presumed dead, Sam bides his endless time by hosting a killer late-night show, so he’s not alone with his thoughts. With help from his robot sidekick and only friend DANA, Sam sits down for some hard-hitting interviews with the voices in his head, extraterrestrial beings, and hip, probably real celebrities," with Sam Weiss, Dana Kaplan-Angle, Jonathan Doyle, Dan Silver, and tonight's guest Matt Barats at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street): Deep Space Live
[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Nick Turner, Nathan Macintosh, Brittany Sherrod, Chris Waelti, Daniel J Perafan, performing at the HiFi Bar (169 Avenue A) produced by Gary Levitt & Matt Schwartzer and hosted by Matt Schwartzer: I Don't Get It Stand-Up
[TOP PICK] 8:30 pm ($10): Before this Magnet show, audience members may anonymously submit written confessions, secrets, rants, advice and opinions which will be used onstage by the improvisors—who include such talents as Sebastian Conelli (2014 Cage Match Champion The Enemy): The Friday Night Sh*w
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): Some of the finest improv in the country from brilliant comics Connor Ratliff, Silvija Ozols, Shannon O'Neill, Don Fanelli, Alexandra Dickson, and/or Michael Delaney forming a seamless and hilarious group mind at UCB Chelsea—the all-star members of The Stepfathers
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): Cipha Sounds (Hot 97, Chappelle's Show) thought it would be cool if a hip-hop star told tales and then improvisors made up scenes based on them. This monthly show is the result, with a "secret" music celebrity "mesmerizing the crowd with amazing stories and linguistic darts to spark the creativity of some of the best improvisers in NYC," the latter being Anthony Atamanuik, Natasha Rothwell, Brandon Gardner, Lydia Hensler, Christian Capozzoli, and/or Shaun Diston at the UCB East theatre: Take It Personal: The Hip-Hip Improv Show
9:00 pm ($10): Stand-ups and improvisors performing at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Matt Catanzano & Richie Moriarty: Simply Unemployable Live
[TOP PICK] [$] 9:30 pm ($15): Hip-hop improv group North Coast—which includes Evan Kaufman (genius musical improvisor of Your Love Our Musical; VH1)—attempts to create a Hamilton on the spot by making up a musical based on an audience suggestion of a famous historical figure at The PIT upstairs theatre (123 East 24th Street): Anybody: An Improvised Historical Hip-Hopera
9:30 pm ($5): Petey Deabreu (host of Petey's World), Sydnee Washington, Hannah Boone, and Michael Foulk performing stand-up at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Ariel Elias & Liz Magee: You Deserve It
9:30 pm ($10): "King Zebra has a full black cast (including Ray Morency from Off Top, David Bell, and Raquel Palmas), and we want to do an improv show based around the theme 'black lives laughter'" at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): King Zebra Safari
[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($10): Musical improv group Premiere—which features the best improv piano player in the biz, Frank Spitznagel—springboards off an audience suggestion to create a complete story with song and dance at The Magnet theatre: Premiere: The Improvised Musical
10:00 pm ($5): A guest visual artist shows off his/her work for 15 minutes. Then 5 comics each tell a story while being sketched by the artist, by the host/cartoonist Grant Lindahl—and, if you're into it, you (bring a sketchbook!). The audience member crafting the best sketch wins a prize. It all happens at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue): Art School Acid Dropout
[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): Superb improvisors James Dwyer, Craig Rowin, Connor O'Malley, Matt Fisher, Sue Galloway, Brian Faas, Matt Moses, and Shaun Diston make up scenes about an audience member's legal dispute at the UCB Chelsea theatre: The Law Firm: Law & Disorder
[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($5): I'm not sure he's in NYC tonight, but one of the finest improvisors alive, Joe Bill (Bassprov, iO, co-founder of the Annoyance Theatre) will either personally spearhead or lead in spirit a breathtakingly brilliant group of improvisors from Chicago and New York who will blow the roof off The PIT downstairs lounge with lightning-quick dark comedy unlike anything else in NYC. The other superb players typically include Doug Stoley (Conan O'Brien, The Scene), Amey Goerlich (Indie Cage Match, Krompf, The Scene), Jed Resnik (Annoyance Theatre, UCB), Silvija Ozols (The Stepfathers), Micah Sherman (Second City, co-host of The Scene, host of Fun), and/or many more, all declaring Chica Go-Go
10:30 pm ($10): Giulia Rozzi (Comedy Central's This Is Not Happening and The Jim Gaffigan Show, Chelsea Lately, writer for MTV's Girl Code, VH1, Playgirl Magazine, co-host of Stripped Stories, comedy album True Love), Drew Michael (Comedy Central Half Hour), Will Miles (co-host of Comedy Night at the Knit; The Chris Gethard Show; comedy album Good Year), Jamie Lee (TruTV, MTV's Girl Code, The Pete Holmes Show), and Max Pro performing stand-up at UCB East hosted by Brandon Scott Jones, Justin Tyler, and/or Alden Ford: Gentrify
10:30 pm ($5): Comics perform "cold" in sketches they've never seen until they're handed the pages moments before the show begins at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Flying Blind
10:30 pm ($5): A rotating pool of improvisors perform in groups of five at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street): Singles Motel
[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($10): M. Night Shyamalan's stupid 2008 movie The Happening is screened and commented upon by quick-witted comics Frank Conniff (TV's Frank on Mystery Science Theater 3000; Cinematic Titanic), Leah Bonnema (VH1, WeTV's Cinematherapy, Logo, Opie & Anthony’s Virus Channel), and Tyler Richardson at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Chris Gersbeck & Freddy G: The Happening Screening & Mocking by Frank Conniff, Leah Bonnema, and More
11:00 pm ($5): Indie improv groups Thunderbox and Lazy Fair make up scenes at The PIT upstairs theatre: Super Indie Takeover
[TOP PICK] Midnight ($5): Comics (not announced) perform stories and songs at this cabaret-style show backed by pianist Henry Koperski and friends at UCB East hosted by Brandon Scott Jones: A Lil' Night Music: Comedians Singing
[TOP PICK] [FREE] Midnight: If you're looking for something different: Former porn star Alia Janine hosts this show featuring sex workers ranging from dancers to strip club bouncers performing stand-up, plus more conventional comics, at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue): Hardcore Comedy Show
Friday Open Mics & Jams
[FREE] 5:00 pm: Walk-in open mic (signup at 4:30 pm), with 5 minutes per comic, storyteller, poet, or singer, at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Sydney Beveridge & Davey Melch: Queens Open Mic Fridays
5:00 pm ($5): Two-hour open-mic for 20 stand-ups performing for 5 minutes each, with sign-up online here, at the Stand Up NY Comedy Club (236 West 78th Street): Stand Up NY Open Mic
5:45 pm (no cover, 1 drink min. for both comics and audience members): Open mic stand-up providing 5-7 minutes per comic, running 1 hour. Arrive 30 minutes before the show to get on the signup sheet. This is a fine opportunity to perform at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club Open Mic
[ALMOST FREE] 6:00 pm ($1): Walk-in open mic that allows everyone to get on stage at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): $1 Mic
[FREE] 6:00 pm: An open-mic show on a lottery system (sign-ups happen at 5:45-6:00 pm) at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Shalewa Sharpe & Courtney Fearrington: Thug Passion
[ALMOST FREE] 6:30 pm ($1): PIT improv veterans mix with improv novices on-stage at the downstairs lounge for Happy Hour
[FREE] 7:00 pm: Show up at 6:45 pm to place your name in a dog bowl for the chance to get called up on stage and jam with veteran improvisors at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street): Dog Fight
[FREE] 8:00 pm: An open-mic show that's first come, first serve (sign-up starts at 7:30 pm), with each comic getting 5 minutes on stage at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Seena Jon: Mic and Cheese
[FREE] Midnight: This show might not be much fun for audience members, but it's an amazing opportunity if you want to perform sketch for free and with almost zero hurdles on the prestigious UCB Chelsea stage hosted by members of various Maude Night groups: Liquid Courage
NYC Comedy Picks for Saturday 9/17/16
This second and final day of the Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival includes Kerry Coddett, Ashley Brooke Roberts, and Ahmed Bharooch in Comedians You'll See in a Cell Phone or Cream Cheese Commercial in 2-3 Years at 10:00 pm at Union Hall. For details on all the shows—which also take place at The Bell House—please click Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival 2016
More recommendations for the best in New York
City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows
over $10 marked with $) include:
[FREE; reserve tickets here] 1:00 pm: A rare lunchtime stand-up show for families, with all kids under 15 allowed on stage to tell a joke, at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Peggy O'Leary & Lindsay Boling: Guess What?
[FREE] 6:00 pm: Ben Conrad, Lizzy Mazzucchelli, Will Carey, and Will Watkins each perform a different 10-minute stand-up every Saturday in April at The Creek's upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Grant Lindahl: The 8
6:00 pm ($5): Four Indie improv troupes performing at The Magnet theatre: The Rundown
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm, 7:15 pm, 8:00 pm, 8:45 pm, 9:15 pm, 10:00 pm, 10:30 pm, 11:15 pm, and 12:15 am ($20-$24 per show, plus 2-item food/drink min.): Some of the finest stand-ups in the country spread among four shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane), the 7:30, 9:30, and 11:30 shows at Village Underground (130 West 3rd Street, off Sixth Avenue), and the 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm shows at The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge (130 West 3rd Street): Comedy Cellar Saturday
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($10): An all-gal improv group swap personal stories and then use them as springboards for improv scenes at the UCB East theatre: The Living Room
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($10): Improv group Big Black Car 2, plus improv group Ladies of The PIT (Dana Shulman, Tracy Mull, Sarah Nowak, and more) make up scenes at The PIT upstairs theatre: BBC2 and Ladies of The PIT
7:00 pm ($5): Two improv groups performing at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street): All Aboard the Butter Cruise + Selfish Green Men
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): Improv powerhouses Charlie Todd, Jeff Hiller, Jim Santangeli, Natasha Rothwell, Brandon Gardner, Chelsea Clarke, Kevin Hines, Erik Tanouye, and John Timothy at UCB Chelsea interview an audience member about where he or she grew up and then "turn that town's tourist attractions, landmarks, hangouts, local celebrities, urban legends, and more into a hilarious show made up on the spot:" The Curfew: Not From Around Here
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): "Created in 1995 at the iO Theater in Chicago, The Armando Diaz Experience is the longest running improv show ever. A guest monologist—who tonight is Lisa Kron—takes a suggestion from the audience and shares true personal tales. These stories are then brought to life by a rotating cast of improv all-stars—and occasionally Armando himself" at The Magnet theatre: The Armando Diaz Experience
7:30 pm ($8): Comics Susan Prekel and Peggy O'Brien chatting & performing at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Rob Paravonian (Comedy Central, VH1; to watch his hit video Pachelbel Rant, which has been viewed by over 13 million people on YouTube, please click here): Don't Feed the Musicians
7:30 pm ($7): Political activists and pundits mix with comics at this political comedy show that makes fun of the news at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Electoral Dysfunction
[$] 7:30 pm & 10:30 pm ($38.25 & 2-drink min.): A comic who's been a cast member of MAD TV and The Howard Stern Show, acted in a bunch of feature films, and co-hosts FOX News Radio's The Nick and Artie Show headlining one last night at the Carolines Comedy Club: Artie Lange
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Improv groups Gypsy Danger (which includes brilliant comics Katie Hartman and Evan Kaufman, and which will make up a feature film on the spot) and The Baldwins (which includes brilliant comics Micah Sherman and Sarah Nowak) make stuff up at The PIT upstairs theatre: Gypsy Danger: The Improvised Movie and The Baldwins
8:00 pm ($10): The submissions that won in an improv contest at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street) hosted by Kimberly Stewar: Judges' Choice Improv
[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups performing at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Ray DeVito, Ben Kronberg, Nick Cobb, and Tim Dimond: Shoot the Shite
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:30 pm ($15): White rapper Carolyn Castiglia (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, VH1) hosts a talk show with a live band, with tonight's guests Laurie Kilmartin (dynamite stand-up; writer for Conan O'Brien; finalist on Last Comic Standing; Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central, VH1), Baron Vaughn (Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central; cast member of Netflix's Grace and Frankie and USA's Fairly Legal; films Cloverfield and Black Dynamite), band Free the Wind, and more performing stand-up, sketch, storytelling, or music at Brooklyn's Over the Eight (594 Union Ave): Right Now! with Carolyn Castiglia
[TOP PICK] 8:30 pm ($10): Improv group Airwolf—with big talents Molly Lloyd, Tim Martin, Achilles Stamatelaky, Eddie Dunn, Ben Rameaka, and Adam Fruccie—make up scenes about terrible audience experiences related to a home at UCB East: Airwolf: Let's Go Back to Your Place
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): A freestyle rapping long-form improv group that includes such talents as Evan Kaufman (Your Love Our Musical) takes the stage for nearly an hour at The PIT downstairs lounge: North Coast
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): An improvised apocalypse from sharp comics John Murray, Sean Casey, Jackie Jennings, Glenn Boozan, Joanna Bradley, Chad Carter, and Caroline Cotter at the UCB Chelsea theatre: Goat
[TOP PICK] [$] 9:00 pm ($15): Groundbreaking and highly acclaimed improvisors Matt Higgins, Jay Rhoderick, and Kevin Scott performing at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Centralia
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): Sharp improvisors Nick Kanellis & Peter McNerney make up scenes at The Magnet as comedy duo Trike
[FREE] 9:00 pm: Shakir Standley (Last Comic Standing, MTV), Bryan Morris, Chelsea Hood, Bob Kitson, Scott Nossen, Benel Germosen, and Kevin Iso performing stand-up at Brooklyn's Art Cafe & Bar (884-886 Pacific Street) hosted by Ben Totushek & Koshin Egal: The Human Citizen Comedy Show
9:30 pm ($10): Sketch and improv comics "create a brand new show in only one week, and then perform improvised sketches based off of your suggestions, just like The Second City used to do" at The PIT upstairs theatre: Old School Sketch Show
9:30 pm ($5): Long-form improv with a playful title directed by Conner O'Malley at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street): Michael Jordan Steakhouse
9:30 pm ($10): A four-guy improv group, plus guests performing improv, stand-up, and/or music, at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue): No Feelings
[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($10): A powerhouse group of improvisors—Zhubin Parang (writer for The Daily Show), Michael Kayne (Baby Wants Candy, Diamond Lion), Langan Kingsley (rising star; sketch group Beige, one-woman show The Dicewoman Cometh), Aaron Jackson (Fuck That Shit, Newsadoozies), Natasha Vaynblat (one-woman show United Federation of Teachers), and Nate Dern (News Editor for Funny or Die)—springboard scenes off interviewing an audience member about his or her love life at the UCB East theatre: What I Did For Love
10:00 pm ($5): Four pairs of stand-ups try to entertain you with their unrehearsed banter at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Scotland Green & Alison Zeidma (who will interrupt whenever they feel there's a lull with a random new topic for discussion): Banter Show
[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): Long form improv about the behavior of a theatrical troupe both on-stage and off-stage, revolving around a different show biz theme each week—which tonight is Table Read—at The Magnet theatre: The Cast: Table Read Edition
[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): At UCB Chelsea, improv group Grandma's Ashes—which includes stellar talents Ryan Karels, Morgan Grace Jarrett, Brandon Scott Jones, and more—takes your written secrets and turns them into very funny improv scenes: Grandma's Ashes: We Won't Tell
[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): A sketch comedy troupe that includes Kristen Bartlett & Jason Gore, and this month features guest comic Frank Garcia-Hejl, at The PIT downstairs lounge: Bridge & Tunnel
10:30 pm ($5): "Well, it's time to say goodbye. Your favorite TV series that you've been following for the last several years is, sadly, drawing to a close. This is the last time you'll ever see your favorite stars again. And... it's entirely improvised" at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): The Series Finale
10:30 pm ($5): "We’re here to listen to things you’re sad, angry, frustrated, or just feeling strongly about. We will listen to audience members share their emotions and help them deal with it in whatever way they choose—including but not limited to dancing, singing, screaming, hugging, eating, breaking shit, whatever you need. We've got a list of approved methods for dealing with strongly held emotions; you choose which method speaks to you and the whole crowd supports you. You’re not alone. You are heard!" at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street): You Are Heard
11:00 pm ($10): An improvised family dinner created by character comics Jenn Dodd, Jamie Aderski, Mark Stetson, and more at The PIT upstairs theatre: Awkward Family Dinner
[FREE] 11:00 pm: Stand-ups performing at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) produced by Fredric Goldstein and hosted by Judith George: Last Stop Laughs
11:30 pm ($5): Comics playing characters answer obscure quiz questions in this comedic game show at UCB East hosted by Vincent Moore: Best Answer
[TOP PICK] [FREE] Midnight: Over 30 comics participate in a joke-off competition judged by audience laughter, with help from Omar Capra, at Brooklyn's Over the Eight (594 Union Ave) hosted by Emily Winter: Bracket Style One Liner Contest
[TOP PICK] Midnight ($5): Couples selected from the audience are tested to determine whether they belong together; "the couples with the least amount of points will have to break up, because we all die alone and what's the point of anything, really? It'll be fun!" at UCB Chelsea hosted by Carly Ann Filbin: Let Me Break You Up: An Anti-Dating Game Show
[FREE] Midnight: "Every month comedian Dan King writes a pilot script for a new sitcom and hosts a live table read of the script. It’s important that you come see these live because these ideas will never, ever make it to television" at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue): Test Pilots
Saturday Open Mics and Jams
[FREE] 4:00 pm: An unusually early weekly open mic stand-up show, with names drawn out of a bucket, at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Rachel Coleman: Let's Be Friends
[FREE] 5:00 pm-7:00 pm: Walk-in comedy open mic (lottery system, with sign-up starting at 4:30 pm) providing each selected comic 4 minutes on stage at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Chris Gersbeck & Veronica Garza: Murray Povich Mic
[ALMOST FREE] 6:00 pm ($1): Experienced hip-hop improvisers perform scenes with "anyone willing to stretch that hip-hop improv muscle; it's a fun supportive environment where scenes turn into a rap song, beatbox, freestyle, or rap battle" at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Raymond Morency & Richie Alfson: Off Top!: A Hip Hop Mixer
[FREE] 6:00 pm: Put your name in a bucket for this open mic for stand-up, sketch, music, or anything else you want to work out on stage at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street) hosted by Josh Bates & Brian Pisano: Make Out Party: An Open Mic
[FREE] 9:00 pm: Walk-in open mic for character bits, stand-up, etc. at Queens LIC's The Creek downstairs lounge hosted by Elise Edwards: Discount Disco
[FREE] 11:30 pm: If you're female, this is your chance to get on stage for an improv jam hosted by all-gal group Gun Club at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street) followed by a dance party: Twat the Night: Gal Improv Jam
NYC Comedy Picks for Sunday 9/18/16
For ratings & rankings of the 32 FringeNYC 2016 shows I've seen to date, please click here.
A stand-up who's performed on Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, NBC's Undateable, and TBS' Ground Floor, and in the films The House, The Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter, and Dean headlines for one night only in Brooklyn, with openers Greg Barris and Zach Martina: Rory Scovel (8:00 pm, $20, Brooklyn's Bell House at 149 7th Street in Brooklyn; take R subway to 9th Street or F/G to Fourth Avenue)
More recommendations for the best in New York
City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows
over $10 marked with $) include:
4:30 pm ($5): A sketch show about the private lives of city cats at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Domesticated
5:30 pm ($5): Improvisors who cut across all regions and schools come together for one evening at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Supernova
[TOP PICK] 6:00 pm ($5): There's nothing more unpredictable on a stage than an animal. In this show, pet owners perform improv along with their real-life pets at The PIT upstairs theatre (123 East 24th Street): Pet Prov
6:00 pm ($7): Sketch performed by comedy duo Ashley Glicken & Kyle Gordon and written by a variety of talents at The Magnet theatre: The Ashley & Kyle Project
6:30 pm ($5): Three NYC improv groups that are independent (i.e., not a house team of any particular improv school/theatre) compete for audience member laughs and votes at UCB East hosted by superb improvisors Amey Goerlich & Ryan Karels (half of revered improv group Krompf): Indie Cage Match
7:00 pm ($10): A comedic play with bite about the Hollywood experience for minorities, in which "four black actors in Room 4 have just realized they’re stuck in a time loop, auditioning for the same role of 'Drug Dealer #2' over and over. What once felt like a messed-up metaphor has become a literal existential nightmare. Get them out of there" at The PIT upstairs theatre written by Marina & Nicco, and with an eight-man cast...one of whom plays a literal Magical Negro: Room 4
7:00 pm ($5): Three scripted shows—Shakspen & Marlboro, Choo Choo Boogie, and Welcome to My Lighthouse—for the price of one at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street): Triple Feature
[FREE] 7:00 pm: Nine-person improv group The Internet Disagrees makes stuff up at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue): The Internet Disagrees
7:00 pm ($5): Duo improv at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Kevin Scott & Patrick McCartney Improvise
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10) and 9:30 pm [FREE]: UCB Chelsea's signature improv comedy extravaganza, which typically includes superstars in the improv world such as Shannon O'Neill and Anthony Atamanuik, and sometimes network TV & movie stars such as Amy Poehler and Horatio Sanz: ASSSSCAT 3000
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm, 8:00 pm, 9:30 pm, 10:00 pm, and 11:30 pm ($14 per show, plus 2-item food/drink min.): Some of the finest stand-ups in the country spread among seven shows, with three shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane), and the 8:00 & 10:00 pm shows at Village Underground (130 West 3rd Street, off Sixth Avenue): Comedy Cellar Sunday
7:30 pm ($7): Sketch comedy from a variety of comics at The Magnet theatre: Ringers
7:30 pm ($5): Dana Shulman and friends are improv group Student Driver, which hosts two indie improv troupes making up scenes and then performs itself, all at The PIT downstairs lounge: Student Driver Indie Road
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Amber Nelson (dynamic stand-up & character comic; Comedy Central, TruTV's Almost Genius; sketch group Murderfist), Jon Rudnitsky (Saturday Night Live, The Groundlings), Emily Maya Mills (Key & Peele), Jacob Williams (Adam Devine's House Party, America's Got Talent), Harrison Greenbaum (Comedy Central, Mad Magazine), Danielle Perez, and Al Park performing stand-up at UCB East guest-hosted by Jo Firestone (exceptionally inventive and irresistible rising star; The Chris Gethard Show, radio host of WFMU's Dr. Gameshow, live-on-stage host of The Unexpectashow and The Incredible Game Show Showcase, co-author of #1 bestselling Punderdome: A Card Game for Pun Lovers): If You Build It
8:30 pm ($5): A group of 18 improvisors is divided into two 9-person teams—who then fiercely compete for your laughs, with prizes awarded at the end. Come judge them at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street): The Annoyance Presents Improv: Goons
8:30 pm ($5): Students of Gary Austin, the founder of The Groundlings, performing improv at The PIT downstairs lounge: Gary Austin's The Classroom
9:00 pm ($10): Duo improv from Rick Andrews and a guest (not yet announced) at The Magnet theatre: Andrews & Friend
[FREE] 9:00 pm: "Bringing all the excitement and passion of professional wrestling to stand-up comedy, your clueless announcers Kelsey Caine & Jack Comstock invite you to get up and throw down for comics entering the ring for glory! Who will survive? Who will be there? Who actually cares about wrestling? Come on out and get Ready 2 Crumble" at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue): Ready 2 Crumble
9:00 pm ($5): Indie improv groups make up scenes at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street) hosted by Ian Herrin: The Ian Herrin Improv Hour
9:30 pm ($6): A one-man show by Ben Palmer in which he projects stock photographs on a screen and "narrates the action in each stock photo with a twisted perspective" at Brooklyn's Union Hall (702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street): Picture Show
[ALMOST FREE] 10:30 pm ($1): This improv show is based on a Mullaney Chain (pioneered by Kevin Mullaney) in which the host invites a guest to improvise with him or her, then the guest independently invites a third person, who then invites a fourth person, and so on, creating a one-time-only lineup that will be a surprise to everyone involved at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street) hosted by Kurt Guenther: The Telephone Show
Sunday Open Mics & Open Stages
[FREE] 4:00 pm: An unusually early walk-in open-mic stand-up show (put your name in the bucket, drawings every half hour), providing 4 minutes per comic at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue): Intestinal Fortitude
[FREE] 5:00 pm: Walk-in stand-up lottery style open mic that provides 4 minutes per comic at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Andrea Shapiro & Chris Gersbeck: Bunk Bed Time Open Mic
5:15ish pm (no cover, 1 drink min.): Weekly open mic stand-up, with comics selected from names tossed into a bucket starting at 4:55 pm, at Brooklyn's Legion Bar (790 Metropolitan Avenue) hosted by Aaron Glaser, Irene Hartmann, and/or Carlos Delgado: Sunday Open Mic
[ALMOST FREE] 5:30 pm ($1): Sign up at 4:30 pm to do improv with experienced PIT performers at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Sasha Capelli, Eitan Levine, and Shaina Stigler: 10K Jam Jam
9:30 pm ($3): Open-mic comedy, with 3-5 minutes per walk-in performer who signs up (first come, first serve) at The PIT downstairs lounge, hosted by Will Neville: Amateur Night At The Gemini
[FREE] 10:00 pm: An open-mic stand-up show (sign up is at 9:45 pm) providing 5 minutes for each comic whose name is pulled from the bucket at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Ian Kitchen: The Grandstand
[FREE] 10:00 pm: The only open-stage show for entire groups of improvisors and sketch comics, running weekly at UCB East hosted by Austin Rodrigues: Bring Your Own Team: Improv/Sketch Team Jam
Copyright © 2016 Hy Bender
Email: hy@hyreviews.com
